Monday, April 29, 2013

I have an eventual purpose for my art... to bring you joy, to inspire you, to make you smile, to make you feel loved, and to be a blessing. I'm hoping that by working on my art daily, even if it's just a simple
sketch for me and not for the public, I can eventually attain that goal
with some of my art.

I have really been loving painting and sketching lately, some are things to add to my shop and some are just for fun and experience. If you head over to my new blog, you can see some works in progress and some practice pieces.

I hope you have a blessed week and no matter what, remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Over the years I have met some pretty amazing women!
Some I personally know and some I know online.
Some of them I have been in contact with for years, and some of them I just recently "met".
Some of them have shared personal experiences with me for encouragement, some have shared business tips, some shared art tips,some shared health and wellness tips, and some shared their everyday life of laughter and tears.
Some of them, I have only written once or twice and some of them stay in regular contact with me.
Some I only know from their blogs and maybe via a comment on their blogs.

What these ladies have in common is their generosity. They give of their time, their talent, their experience, their expertise, and their friendship. They give.

I could write you a super-duper long list of names, but for today I want to start with only a few so that you can take your time to visit their websites and blogs, lingering for as long as you want, seeing what I see: their talent, their generosity, their wonderful attitudes, and their essence.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Is that what you're asking --- "Where have I been?" I seem to have a one track mind... or maybe it's a scattered mind that's trying to settle on one track. I have a lot going on, but I seem to be able to focus only on one thing at a time in the last several months. I don't know how I ever juggled 3 kids, a husband, several pets, a website, selling monthly on 3 co-op art sites, selling in a handful of brick and mortar shops, and keep an active blog! Now I do well to post on my blog once or twice a month, make just a handful of items in a few weeks... and that's with all my kids grown now, and yes, and I still have my husband! :)

So what's been keeping me busy?

I've been doing more inspirational abstract art --- and I love it! My dream would be to have my art licensed so I could keep painting and let someone else distribute my art for me. so if any of you know a good art rep or licensing company........ ;)

I have lots of book covers left over from all the wreaths I've made, so I have been using them as a canvas for some of my art. Some of them I leave plain, and some of them I scan and add an inspirational quote for the prints. I want to thank all of you that blessed me with your business over the last few months. I was able to buy the scanner and printer needed to make high quality art prints for my shop!

I never really thought I'd do abstract art, but for me, it allows me to think more about color and texture rather than getting the object --- such as a house, dog, person, or flower --- to look realistic.

And then I have more freedom to add a few words or a quote to inspire.

I am still working on jewelry and I'm getting ready to apply to a 3 day art fair for this fall where I will be selling my soldered charms and assemblage necklaces! Please wish me luck! I'd love to get accepted, but if I do, then I'll need to really get busy and work on inventory. They estimate a crowd attendance of over 20,000 each year!

I'm also still listing miscellaneous items on my little selling blog. I just recently added lots of tarnished silver that had been packed away for quite some time. And later today, I'll add a large stack of doll magazines, most of which have articles about Queen Anne dolls, Izannah Walker dolls, and other fantastic dolls that so many of you love.

I finally combined my Simple Joys Paperie and Honeysuckle Lane facebook pages into one, Lana Manis. Come on over and visit. It's a little more active than my other ones. :)

And.... drum roll, please..... I finally decided on a name for my business: Lana Manis Designs!

I've been talking with a web designer (finally!) about having an honest-to-goodness website again... and we'll put that into motion before long. This web designer can design both my website and my new blog so everything will be cohesive and much more professional looking! I'm really excited about this!

Because of that, I really have to get busy selling wreaths, prints, original art, and jewelry over the next several weeks. To get the word out about my new Etsy shop and new art, I'll be having a few giveaways soon.

So.... where have YOU been? What have you been up to? What do you have planned for the coming weeks? I'd love to hear from you and catch up or meet new readers in the comments below! :)

Thank you for hanging around and for visiting today!
Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~

P.S. Don't forget to visit my new blog! This week I'll post a few in-progress photos of some of my artwork and share a few favorite resources.

Adornments

Art - Originals and Prints

Blessings

I designed these book page wings in 2009 after hearing my daughter talk of angel wings for a Christmas play. You may read more by clicking on the photo.

Vintage Book Page Wreaths

I began designing these in 2008 and sold them in my Honeysuckle Lane Etsy shop. Paper designs sort of took over my creative life and I opened a second shop, Simple Joys Paperie. You may see more in the sold section of my Simple Joys Paperie Etsy shop. Just click on the photo.